Thiruvananthapuram: Manorama News Newsmaker 2017 award was presented to CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran here on Wednesday. The coveted award was given away to Kanam by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a function attended by ministers, MLAs, top officials and political leaders.

Kanam, whose uncompromising stands on several issues unsettled the ruling front, was chosen for the award in January. Maximum number of people voted for the veteran politician in the poll held by Manorama News in association with MRF Corp Vapocure Paints.

Kanam had said that the award was a recognition for standing firm on the Left ideologies. CPI is the second-largest constituent of the ruling LDF in Kerala after the CPM.

Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam, actress Parvathy and Sriram Venkitaraman, IAS, were the other contenders in the final round.

This is the first time in 10 years that a political leader won the Newsmaker award. CPM veteran V S Achuthanandan and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had won the award in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

The Newsmaker of the Year, which is given annually to a person from Kerala who has hogged the headlines most frequently and brought in a positive change in society, is chosen by the viewers through SMS and online voting.

TAGS

Google News Add as a preferred source on Google
The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Onmanorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.